Rabbi Yehoshua Safrin , Manhattan Komarna Rebbe His relationship w R Yoel Kahan - RC Dalfin English

This is a tribute to Reb Shaya, Reb Yehoshua Soferin, known as the Manhattan Komarna Reb. There was a Hasidic dynasty, Komarna, also associated with Yitzchak another Hasidic dynasty, great scholars and Kabbalists. And Reb Yehoshua, who lived in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, he he just passed on, I believe, this Sunday night or Saturday night in the Motzei Shabbos. And because I met him once and spoke to him, and I also saw him in the Crown Heights Kollel, in in which I studied >> [clears throat] >> after my marriage before we went on Shlichus and that ever sent us as Shluchim to Marin County, California. So, I'd like to say a few words because what I heard from him was very interesting. Where did I hear it? I heard this about Reb Yochanan, the Chazan of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, about 20 years ago in the in the the Gaavad. Gaavad is going off the Beis Din, the shul in Jerusalem, in Yerushalayim. I think his name was Reb Tuvia Weiss. I don't recall first name. But Rabbi Weiss was the the the the head of the Beis Din for the Eidah HaChareidis. And in his building, he where he lived, he had a one one floor, one apartment was a shul. For some reason, I was in that neighborhood. So, Friday night, I I went in to daven. This is also next door to the Rachmastrivka, another Hasidic sect associated with the Twerskis, Chernobyl. They have a large building next door with a big mikvah. And a few maybe net, you know, adjacent or a few a few buildings down this place. Anyway, it's Friday night between Mincha Maariv and I noticed Rabbi Safrin and he was wearing a shtreimel during the year normally he wore during the week a hat. So, he had a shtreimel not a fancy shtreimel but rather the old-fashioned more flat shtreimel. And that's what he was wearing. I went over to him unannounced. And between Mincha Maariv and I said, "I know that you you were close to Rabbi Yoel Kahn. Tell me something about Rabbi Yoel." So, he said, "Yes, I'll tell you." He said, "You know, he and I had a a shiur we learned together Likutei Sichos. Rabbi Yoel taught me the Rebbe's Likutei Sichos. And it was straight learning. We didn't tell stories. We didn't speak about politics. Just learning the sicha." And he said it was wonderful. And then he said, "And you would think that I had such a privilege of learning with him and this genius in how he explained Tanya and Chassidus to me in a way that that I could understand. Because his own background he went to I believe Rabbi Safrin learned in Beis Medrash Gavoha and was more on the the nigleh side although he came from Chassidim. His training was more in the Talmud. So, this was Likutei Sichos is has everything Talmud, Kabbalah, Chassidus, Tanach, Shulchan Aruch. There's everything there. But I wasn't familiar with the style. Rabbi Yoel taught it to me. So, you would think that that's that that was the prize. The prize was that I had such a teacher. He said, "But that's wrong. You know what the prize is?" He said, "You know what the genius the genius of Reb Yael Kahn was is This is while Reb Yael was still alive. It's not in what he says, it's what in what he doesn't say." And he used the words the hot sorrow lot sorrow to withhold, to hold back. He said, "More than his genius and what he gives over in teaching it to me, the fact that he holds himself back from other things within the learning itself, not to overwhelm me. In other words, he assesses properly what I know, what I don't know. And he assesses properly what he should teach and what he should say and what HE SHOULDN'T SAY. THAT ability to hold yourself back, someone who's such a genius and the flow of intellectualism and and knowledge is is is is super fast, it's express. He's able to hold it back. That is a genius." I never forgot that word. He told it to me 20 years ago. And I share it with you today in memory of Reb Yeshua Shia They called him Shia Reb Shia Safedrins the show. He's back in Gan Eden. Was who saw him? And his merit, he shared this this this word with me, this teaching, and I shared it with everyone listening to it. There's much more to say. He came from prestige, from pedigree of Hasidim, the commanders in the Traver with big Tzadikim big Mukbalim. There's a safer Sum Merava say toyev, which is a famous safer in the Hasidic world which was authored by his great great grandfathers father. And he was a successful businessman, a very successful businessman. Hashem blessed him. He had what they call "Torah u'gedulah b'makom echad." He had lots of knowledge of Torah and he had greatness, gedulah referring to financial success. My understanding is he supported many institutions. Ger, Boyan, Chabad, he supported Ohel Torah and Crown Heights, the Kollel. I remember seeing him [clears throat] in the Kollel and I he he would talk to Rabbi Heller. Later I found out he had a strong relationship with Rabbi Heller and he supported Rabbi Heller's work in the Kollel. So, when a person goes back to the Aibershter, when a person returns his soul, it's time for the family, his son Reb Leizer, who I know, and the daughters and sons-in-law, I I understand they announced um at the levaya here, the funeral here in New York, he was buried actually, I believe, in Har Hazesim in Yerushalayim, Mount of Olives. He um they announced that they'll be opening a shul to continue the Komarna uh mesorah tradition and that his son Reb Leizer would take over. So, I wish Reb Leizer only bracha v'hatzlacha and true godliness in in Torah and in middos. And uh together with this we will be zocheh to to the techiyas hameisim, the resurrection of the dead, geulah shleimah, true geulah, and everyone will have kesiva v'chasima tovah. May it be written and sealed for a healthy good year as Rosh Hashanah is about is upon us. And Reb Leizer will be back. We'll have techiyas hameisim this year, not even the taf shin pei vov, 5786. We won't have to wait for next year for the first yahrtzeit. Omein kein yehi ratzon. And this is a little bit a little bit that I that I that I share and um wish everyone to to do whatever it is for his neshama to give tzedakah to support Yiddish institutions Yiddish institutions privately to help people who need funds for their family weddings, b'nai mitzvahs, Torah and tefillin. Now now is the time that Rebbe the after the Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka passed away, he pushed so much that we should build institutions and he gave money for any institution that was connected, you know, with with with his Rebbetzin's passing, her neshama. He gave other He gave also supported at that time in 1988-89 Chabad institutions. But the point is that he he was very much in favor of putting up buildings and institutions, not only buildings, a program where it's with ilui nishmas, it's for the benefit and merit of the deceased. So I hope the family will will capitalize on that, not only in a grandiose way, but also to the small man the on the street. And Hashem will help that this will definitely bring the geulah shleimah. Thank you very much.